Source: Fuel shortage a proof govt needs clarity on policies – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 21, 2020
THE acute fuel shortages that have been experienced over the last few months are clear proof that the government needs to have clarity in terms of policy because currently, they are operating like a confused bunch.
NewsDay Comment
What this shows, above all else is that the command economy, and the business of tinkering with prices, does not work and is unlikely to work. The absence of smooth supply processes for fuel shows that something is wrong somewhere. Why should the Reserve Bank, for instance, wait until fuel has run out at service stations before it can start processing the payment for the release of fuel?
Such delays are what create arbitrages for black market dealers to make a killing.
Fuel shortages have resulted in long queues at service stations.
All this is just a tip of the iceberg, which reflects the confusion in the economy and shows that the government is totally clueless on what it is supposed to be doing. Wisdom should compel them to swallow their pride and consult those that know and are able to assist them.
At the end of the day, government needs all hands on deck and should even reach across the political divide and negotiate, rather than resort to threats and guns that do not bring any solution to the mammoth problems that Zimbabwe is facing. One will not be far off the mark to suggest that our current crop of leaders is totally clueless on how to find a lasting solution to the myriad of problems bedevilling the country.
It is ironic that Finance minister Mthuli Ncube believes and insists they are on the right path and that their proposed solutions to the crisis are working, when everyone – including the Zanu PF MPs — can see that there are not working and that there is need to change the strategy.
One would never have imagined that after having experienced similar problems in the past, we are right back where we used to be during some of Zimbabwe’s darkest moments in recent history.
Quite clearly, our current crop of leaders, many of whom were in government at the time, did not learn anything from that period. This demonstrates a crisis of leadership of monumental proportions.
COMMENTS
True, very true and very sad indeed. Clueless. Saw this other article in Chronicle and the concern was impact of fuel on commuting public, they checked mashikashika. Is this how far the country has sunken? It’s a desperate situation.How loud does one have to shout that an economy runs on such things as fuel, Oil, power, infrastructure, good governance? So lowly they think economy is mashikashika charging fair prices. NO!! it is about oiling the machinery that runs the country, your factories, production trucks, delivery of goods and services, tillage – those things need lot’s of readily available fuel. It is really only honourable for people who have no idea what they are doing with such critical national services to let go and allow able bodied people to fix things. There are people whose actions amount to treason on the nation and in their folly they do not even notice. This is really sad. Then a whole VP collapses, flies to SA, gets treated and he is off to a police station to report his young wife for alleged attempted murder, then he is back to that non working country. No time to engage peers out there to seek solutions to crippling power, fuel, medicine and water shortages.It’s not even top of mind. The things that occupy one’s mind most determine a people’s destiny. Until that landlocked nation begets people who think differently it unfortunately rolling top speed into a bottomless pit. Those who left way back heave a sigh of relief and that is really saddening. Perplexed by the depth of ignorance.